MV Cap Finistère
Encyclopedia
MV
Ship prefix
A ship prefix is a combination of letters, usually abbreviations, used in front of the name of a civilian or naval ship.Prefixes for civilian vessels may either identify the type of propulsion, such as "SS" for steamship, or purpose, such as "RV" for research vessel. Civilian prefixes are often...
Cap Finistère is a cruiseferry
Cruiseferry
A cruiseferry is a ship that combines the features of a cruise ship with a Ro-Pax ferry. Many passengers travel with the ships for the cruise experience, staying only a few hours at the destination port or not leaving the ship at all, while others use the ships as means of...
owned by and operated by Brittany Ferries
Brittany Ferries
Brittany Ferries is a French ferry company that runs ships between France, the UK, Ireland and Spain.-1970s and 1980s:Following the provision of the deep-water port at Roscoff, the company commenced in January 1973 at the instigation of Alexis Gourvennec, when existing ferry companies showed...
on their Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
- Santander
Santander, Cantabria
The port city of Santander is the capital of the autonomous community and historical region of Cantabria situated on the north coast of Spain. Located east of Gijón and west of Bilbao, the city has a population of 183,446 .-History:...
and Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
- Cherbourg route. She was built in 2001 as the Superfast V by the Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Weft AG shipyard in Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
, Germany for Superfast Ferries
Superfast Ferries
Superfast Ferries is a Greece-based ferry company founded in 1993 by Pericles Panagopulos and Alexander Panagopulos. Superfast Ferries is a member of Attica Group and operates 5 ultra-modern car-passenger ferries, offering daily connections between Ancona and Bari and Patras and Igoumenitsa...
Greece.
Brief history
Superfast V was operated by Superfast Ferries until March 2010 when Brittany FerriesBrittany Ferries
Brittany Ferries is a French ferry company that runs ships between France, the UK, Ireland and Spain.-1970s and 1980s:Following the provision of the deep-water port at Roscoff, the company commenced in January 1973 at the instigation of Alexis Gourvennec, when existing ferry companies showed...
purchased the ship from Attica Group
Attica Group
Attica Holdings S.A. is an operator of international ferry services in Europe. The Group’s main operations are with its subsidiary Superfast Ferries which began in 1995 with the launch of its first ships, Superfast I & Superfast II...
for €81.5 million to expand Spanish services. Before this purchase the vessel was formerly operated sailings from Patras and Ancona in the Adriatic sea.
mv Cap Finistère was delivered to Brittany Ferries under her new name in February 2010. She conducted berthing trials in Cherbourg and Portsmouth before heading for work to be completed in Dunkerque prior to entering service.
Since 2011 the ship has also operated on a new route from Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
UK to Bilbao
Bilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
Spain (See Below).
Onboard Facilities
Sun deck,Heated outdoor swimming pool,
Shop,
Slot machines,
Wi-Fi Internet access,
Movie lounge,
Cash machine (dispensing Pounds & Euros),
Information desk,
Disabled toilets
Accommodation
De Luxe cabins with double beds (2 berth)2 berth Finistère Club cabin (porthole and beds side by side)
2 berth outside cabins (beds side by side)
4 berth cabins (with and without porthole)
Cabins with wheelchair access (2 berth with porthole and beds side by side)
Dog Friendly Cabins (4 berth with porthole)
Cots
Food Outlets & Bars
Le Café du Port (Brasserie style restaurant)Le Petit Marché (offering many organic and healthy meal and snack options)
Blue Marine (Cafe/ Salad Bar)
Planets Bar
Belle Vue Bar
Portsmouth to Bilbao Route
Brittany Ferries announced on 24th September 2010 their intention to begin operating to Bilbao in Northern Spain, just hours before P&O were due to withdraw from the route. This route originally opened by P&O FerriesP&O Ferries
P&O Ferries is the current name for the amalgamation of a range of ferry services that operated from the United Kingdom to Ireland and Continental Europe...
in 1993 with Pride of Bilbao
Pride of Bilbao
MS "Princess Anastasia" is a cruiseferry owned by St. Peter Line. Until September 2010, she was known as "Pride of Bilbao", operated by P&O Ferries on their Portsmouth–Bilbao route. The vessel was built in 1986 as the Olympia by the Wärtsilä shipyard in Turku, Finland for Rederi AB Slite, Sweden...
. This was direct competition to the established Brittany Ferries
Brittany Ferries
Brittany Ferries is a French ferry company that runs ships between France, the UK, Ireland and Spain.-1970s and 1980s:Following the provision of the deep-water port at Roscoff, the company commenced in January 1973 at the instigation of Alexis Gourvennec, when existing ferry companies showed...
Plymouth - Santander service.
The mv Cap Finistere commenced service on the route in April 2011 with two sailings per week in both direction. Departures from Portsmouth on Sunday's additionally call in Roscoff en route to Bilbao in order to allow a crew change to take place (the mv Cap Finistere being the only BF ship not to have a French route in its weekly schedule), meaning that this departure takes 33 hours compared with her Friday departure of 24 hours.
MV Cap Finistère completed berthing trials at Bilbao during October 2010.
The mv Cap Finistere also runs still runs a Portsmouth - Santander service.